Open mic night

[erogenousjones17]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone here frequent "open mic/jam night" events? I've been to a few at some bars here in town, and I've come to the conclusion that they're not nearly as fun as they could or should be. Aside from the crappy equipment and sound, you've got the cliques who won't play with anyone, the indifference of the crowd (or the ire, should you play the "wrong" tune), the mediocre blues tunes and everybody half-assedly playing the same damn songs every time. (Does the world really need another cover of half the verses to "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World"?)

However, props to the tenor who played "Piano Man" in its entirety last night; that dude was actually pretty badass in his own way. :headbang:

Anyway, is this a universal truth, or is it unique to my town?

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It's true for the ones I go to.  Cliques, same songs, indifferent crowd.  I also find the hists not stepping down because there's certain people they want to play with. What happens to me is, I get stuck playing with the guys no one wants to play with, and I find out why.  An original tune that has sporadic changes, which they can't tell you what they are, and they don't repeat.

 

[mayfly]

Whenever we go out to these, we insist that our band goes up with no one else.  We just use it to try out new songs mostly.  They are pretty useful for that kind of thing.  But you're right - same old guys that no one wants to play with. 

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

An evening class in audio production that I attend have a project in place to 'fix up' a local open mic night at a certain pub in town, mainly for the reasons you've mentioned. We've updated/upgraded the gear ten fold, put in place some sort of organization and made an effort to try and reach out to people, ANYONE, to come along and rock out for an evening. Really fun stuff. Myself, I haven't made the effort to get in and play lately (ironic hypocrite) but mainly because I try and get behind a desk...or am at the bar. HaHa!

 

[hannaugh]

I went to our local one a couple weeks ago.  It's all ages because it is at a coffee shop.  There were a ton of teenagers from the high school, and some of them were oblivious to the fact that their guitars were incredibly out of tune.  And almost all of them sang too far away from the mic for it to pick up much of anything.  :tard:

 

[Patrick from Davis]

We had one, and it has gained and lost momentum depending on the scene.  The rules we had was three songs or 15 minutes total.  I knew most of the people at one point, and there was the same ole same ole problems, but for the most part it was fun.  Also there seemed to be more of a solo thing going, you and your acoustic.  It wasn't forced or anything, but those were the people that showed.
Patrick

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

With the all the negatives, there are some positives.  Since they're usually on weeknights, it's a way for me to hang out with, meet, and see other bands that I normally wouldn't because I'm gigging.  I get to play and learn songs with people I wouldn't otherwise.  It's a big confidence builder to jump in with strangers and play a song you don't know and haven't even heard before.  Oh, the gear.  It's better than trying stuff out at GC! 

 

[TroubledTreble]

I used to go quite often. Then the main one I went to closed and the new one is much harder to get to. Bummer. But I always thought they were great. You definitely had all of the cliche' things going on and it's hard not to. Every once in a while and at least once a night there was the "just right" mix of players that really made the scene happen for a set.

Around here there is usually one guy (a musician, not bar owner) who host the night and it's very important that the person hosting is good a putting people together and knows and encourages people to come and play. To me this is what makes or breaks an open mic night. Fortunately as well, this area has a lot of talent.

Come to think of it, the new jam is better than the old one due to the host. I just wish it were easier to attend.

 

[Tony Raven]

We've got one that's been around about ten months now. Growing pains, not dissimilar from what you mention. A lot of sludge, with plenty of golden moments. It's Sunday, which sorta sux for us 9-5 drones but attracts local pro & semi-pro players who don't have many paying gigs that night.

Our recurring problem: is it an open mic? an open stage? a jam? Each of those has different goals, so the result is kinda like herding cats... at night... during a fireworks extravaganza. Fortunately, most of the regulars know when to take a break, or to spot a noob who should get a slot.

I like the idea of "three songs or 15 minutes." A few months back we had a guy -- who I generally like & is talented -- spend 20+ minutes putting stuff into his looper pedal before actually playing a (rather nice) jazz solo over the top of it. By that point, though, the guys at the bar were moments away fom throwing bottles.

My biggest gripe is the folkies who stroll in late, take a slot after 11:00, then proceed to play (again, rather nice) "downer" tunes when by then most of the paying patrons are ready for screamin' blues or crunchy rock. Makes me want to put a couple amps at the far corner of the bar, where we can rock out a bit just to stay awake!!

I may start a Saturday-evening "guitar club" at another bar. It'd be axe-centric, with a bit of structure up-front, then opening out to actually playing. My idea is just to get players talking about music, gear, technique, &c -- if tunes begin to happen, & maybe an audience forms, well cool.

 

[stankybudz]

Thank you for this idea, my hometown bar will be starting this up on sundays! I guess we wont be drawing the gospel crowds  :icon_scratch:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It's the running joke of the 3 that I frequently, it's a race to see who'll play Little Wing, Voodoo Chile, or Hey Joe first.  Superstition is the new Mustang Sally.

 

[swarfrat]

3 songs or 15 minutes? Pfft. I'l spot you one song,  and do Alice's Restaurant followed by an extended Free Bird.

 

[Patriot54]

I never had the time to commit to a gigging band and rehearsals so I've had a lot of fun playing and listening at our local open mic. It's a small town bar, mix of younger and older crowd with everything from The Beatles to the Beastie Boys but somehow it works. It can get repetitive and there's dead nights where everyone would rather drink than play, but we're lucky to have a good host who brings good equipment so it keeps people coming.